Mukul Kesavan: Speaking in tongues – Narendra Modi & the Anglosphere / Garga Chatterjee: Modi salutes US military casualties in the Vietnam War (2016)

First posted June 16, 2016 NB: Two perceptive comments on Modi in America: Kesavan notices his pathetic yearning to be accepted at the high table of the Anglophone powers; Chatterjee sees through to the symbolism of his homage to US soldiers killed during the Vietnam war. For those who may not know it, the RSS referred to the American  intervention as… Read More Mukul Kesavan: Speaking in tongues – Narendra Modi & the Anglosphere / Garga Chatterjee: Modi salutes US military casualties in the Vietnam War (2016)

India’s leadership aspiration of Global South suffers a credibility gap

The Global South is also well aware of the burgeoning India-Israel ties — India is the largest purchaser of Israeli arms, and its current rulers want to emulate Israel in more ways than one. While India walked a tightrope, China asserted its leadership. If India continues to avoid taking a stand on contentious issues by sidestepping them, its opportunistic… Read More India’s leadership aspiration of Global South suffers a credibility gap

China’s human rights lawyers speak out, 10 years after crackdown

In 2015, a nationwide campaign rounded up hundreds of rights advocates. Since then, suppression has become more systematic and less visible, lawyers say Amy Hawkins in Beijing Adecade on from China’s biggest crackdown on human rights lawyers in modern history, lawyers and activists say that the Chinese Communist party’s control over the legal profession has tightened,… Read More China’s human rights lawyers speak out, 10 years after crackdown

Prophecy, not politics, may also shape America’s clash with Iran

NB: America’s religious fanatics have converted the Old Testament into a title deed; Jesus into a bloodthirsty warrior; Christianity into an instrument of the arms industry; and compassion for humanity into obscurantist nationalism and narcissism. To assist them in this endeavour, the US Supreme Court is functioning as a Catholic theocracy. In a word, religion… Read More Prophecy, not politics, may also shape America’s clash with Iran

India’s Social Regression Under Modi’s Eleven Years May Not Be Mendable

While much has been written about the Modi regime’s economic failures and diplomatic missteps, the most insidious damage lies elsewhere – in the corrosion of India’s socio-cultural fabric. Anand Teltumbde on the experience of being in jail for 31 months in the Bhima Koregaon case Anand Teltumbde There was a short-lived euphoria last month when… Read More India’s Social Regression Under Modi’s Eleven Years May Not Be Mendable

Trump is terrified of Black culture. But not for the reasons you think

A look back at 1960s Black arts movement explains why Trump is obsessed with eliminating Black artistry and the museums and institutions that support it Saida Grundy By the time Jesse Owens bowed his head from the highest podium tier to be crowned with his fourth Olympic wreath in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Europe’s premiers… Read More Trump is terrified of Black culture. But not for the reasons you think

Why BBC Editors Must One Day Stand Trial for Colluding in Israel’s Genocide

the BBC has largely ignored Israel’s campaign of murdering Palestinian journalists in Gaza. A greater number have been killed by Israel in its war on the tiny enclave than the total number of journalists killed in all other major conflicts of the past 160 years combined Jonathan Cook / Jonathan Cook Blog Veteran journalist Peter Oborne… Read More Why BBC Editors Must One Day Stand Trial for Colluding in Israel’s Genocide

Fifty Years After the Emergency, India’s Democracy Is Dying in a Leadership Vacuum

The fact is that in 50 years, India’s democracy has swung between two extremes – from two years of the ‘darkest period’ to ten-plus years of the ‘deep-dark period.’ M.G. Devasahayam June 26, 2025, is the 50th anniversary of the infamous Emergency. As the anniversary year dawned in 2024, the top honchos of the ruling… Read More Fifty Years After the Emergency, India’s Democracy Is Dying in a Leadership Vacuum